Double Points in Racing? Not After What Happened Last Time

The 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was the only race in Formula One history in which the teams and drivers contended for double points. It quickly became apparent that the rule was one of the worst ideas the series ever had, and it was immediately discarded.

Bernie Ecclestone, the series’s promoter, had proposed awarding double points for the final three races of the season to counter the domination by the Red Bull team and its driver Sebastian Vettel, and to try to ensure that the suspense of the title would go down to the final race. Vettel had won four seasons in a row and had earned the 2011 title with four races remaining and the 2013 title with three races left.

But such early finishes in Formula One are rare. The drivers’ championship has been decided at the final race 28 times since the series began in 1950, or nearly half the time. It will happen again this weekend.

While the teams refused Ecclestone’s proposal for double points at the final three races, they accepted a compromise of double points at the final race. The usual point system then, as now, awarded 25 points to the winner of the race, 18 for second, 15 for third, 12 for fourth, 10 for fifth, 8 for sixth, 6 for seventh, 4 for eighth, 2 for ninth and 1 for 10th. For the Abu Dhabi race, each points-scoring finisher would get twice the usual number, with the winner getting 50 points.

What no one had considered was that although the series had again been dominated by a single team, Mercedes, there had been a tight battle between its drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. The title had once again come down to the final race between them, and even with double points no one else could catch up.

Hamilton arrived in Abu Dhabi as the leader, with 334 points. Rosberg was in second, with 317 points. Daniel Ricciardo, from the Red Bull team, was third, with 214, too far out of contention.

The complicating factor was that Hamilton had won 10 races in the season, while Rosberg, who finished with points more consistently, had won only five.

With the double scoring system, Hamilton had to finish first or second in the race to ensure winning the title, regardless of where Rosberg placed. But under the normal scoring system, Hamilton would only have had to finish sixth.

Further, the double points system meant that if Hamilton failed to score at all, Rosberg would have won the title by finishing as low as fifth.

The prospect of a driver winning the title with half as many race victories and such a clear handicap system was an offense to racing purists.

In fact, the system was universally condemned within the series before the race, even by Rosberg. “I find it artificial, and I don’t like it in general,” Rosberg said. “Of course, now, with the way it is, it’s great for me at the moment, but you know that’s just because of the situation.”

Aside from the drivers’ title battle, some of the teams had millions of dollars at stake, in prize money and in commercial money that is paid according to a team’s final position in the championship.

Only the Mercedes team, which had won the constructors’ championship, and the Red Bull team, which was a safe second, were not potentially affected.

It looked bad for Hamilton on Saturday, when Rosberg scored the pole position. Hamilton, nevertheless, started second on the grid, with Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa of the Williams team starting third and fourth.

On Sunday, Hamilton got off to probably his best start of the season, leading Rosberg after the first lap by 1.2 seconds. He increased his lead to 2.6 seconds by Lap 22. While Hamilton seemed to be taking control, Rosberg locked his brakes and went off the track briefly on Lap 23, rejoining 3.9 seconds behind Hamilton.

On the next lap, Rosberg told his team he was losing power, and on Lap 25, at 7.1 seconds behind Hamilton, the team told Rosberg that his hybrid energy recovery system had failed. He continued to drop through the pack, and finished 14th, which meant that the new scoring system was not an issue for the title.

The Mercedes team had also asked Hamilton to turn down his engine power to ensure that he did not suffer the same issues that Rosberg did. That allowed Massa to catch up and apply pressure in the final laps. Hamilton beat Massa by just 2.5 seconds. Bottas finished third, the first time the Williams team had two drivers on the podium since the Monaco Grand Prix of 2005.

But for Hamilton, it was a huge relief.

“This is the greatest day of my life,” he said. Then, referring to his first title, at McLaren in 2008, he said that “was a special time in my life, and the feeling I have now is way, way above that.”

And for the fans and teams who like to see the title go to the driver who dominates in race victories, it was also a relief.